Steam-trap.



G. B. HOWARD.

STEAM TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED FEB- 3, 1914.

Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

awe/whoa CHARLES E. HOWARD, 0F BROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

STEAM-TRAP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 16, 12115.,

Application filed February 3, 1914. Serial No. 816,248.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, CHARLES B. HOWARD,citizen of the United States, residing at Brockton, in the county ofPlymouth and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Steam- Traps, of which the following is aspecification. c

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in steamtraps, and has particular reference to that class of steam traps whereinthermostatic valves are employed to close the steam inlets at the momentthe water of condensation has been completely drained from the steam andthe steam begins to enter the trap.

As its principal object, this invention aims to provide a trap equippedwith a multiple thermostatic valve designed in such manner that thevvarious elements of the valve will move successively into closedposition, so that the complete draining of the water of condensation isassured by permitting the incoming steam to act on the small particlesof water before the steam inlet ports are completely closed.

An object of equal importance with the foregoing is to construct thethermostatic valve as a unitary device, and to reinovably mount it inthe main body casing of the trap so that in case of breakage ordisarrangcment of any of the valve elements, the en tire device may beremoved from the body casing as a unit.

A still further object is to construct the steam trap of this inventionwith such regard to number, proportion and arrangement of parts that itmay be cheaply manufactured, will be durable and eflicient in itsoperation, and may be readily applied to any steam heating system with aminimum amount of adjustment of parts.

The above and additional objects are accomplished by such means as areillustrated in the accompanying drawings, described in the followingspecification, and then more particularly pointed out in the claimswhich are appended hereto and form a part of this application.

With reference to the drawings, wherein I have illustrated the preferredembodiment of my invention as it is reduced to practice, and throughoutthe several views of which similar reference numerals designatecorresponding parts, Figure 1 is an exterior perspective view of thesteam trap; Fig, 2 is a horizontal section illustrating the variousvalve elements in assembled relation within the body casing of the trap;Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a sectionon the line 44 of Fig. 3.

Proceeding now to the description of'the drawings The preferredembodiment of this invention includes two main elements, a body casingand a thermostatic valve, respectively designated as entireties by thenumerals'lO and 11. The body casing 10 is for the most part of the usualconstruction and includes a metallic substantially cylindrical casing 12formed at its lower terminal with an internally screw-threaded nipple 13and equipped at its upper terminal with a removable closure cap 14.This-cap 14 is of the usual type, being provided with a nut 15 anda-nexteriorly screw-threaded dependent annular flange 16 designed forscrewthreaded application to the upper end of the member 12.

Two independent chambers are formed in the body casing 10 by theprovision of a pair of substantially U shaped concentrically spacedwalls 17 and 18 which are in practice preferably formed integrally withthe member 12. An inlet pipe .19 communicates with the inlet chamberformed between the two walls 17 and 18, which will be hereinafterdesignated by the letter A.

By reference particularly to Figs. 2 and 4, it will be observed that thesteam or water of condensation, as the case may be, enters the chamber Afrom the pipe 19 and passes to the outlet chamber, to be hereinafterdesignated by the letter B, through a pair of alined apertures or ports20 and 21 formed in the opposite sides of the inner U- shaped wall 18.

Within the chamber B is removably mounted the valve 11, which is of theduplex type, and is carried by a removable partition plate 22. 'Theplate 22 may be held in fixed position centrally of the chamber Bthrough the medium of the pairs of vertically arranged spaced ribswhich, as indicated at 23, are preferably formed integrally with thebight portion of the member 18 and the member 12. On each side of thepartition plate 22, and approximately centrally thereof, is secured anexpansible valve body, as indicated at 24 and 25. These valve bodies 24and 25 are constructed of brass or any other durable and efficient sheetmetal which may be found desirable,

and are formed in the nature of collapsible accordion vessels orbellows. Bolts, screws, rivets, orany other suitable fastening devicesmay, as indicated at 26, be employed in securing the members 24 and 25to the partition plate 22. It has been found expedient to interpose apair of spacing buttons or washers 27 between the members 24 and 25 andthe partition plate 22, so that a maximum expansion of the valve bodiesmay be had when the temperature within the chamber B is increased uponthe entrance of the water of condensation and steam.

In order to obtain an effective expansion of the valve bodies so thatthe valve heads 28 and 29 carried respectively by the members 24 and 25will move into sealing position in the openings and 21, the members 24and are in practice partially filled with some liquid which willvaporize at a temperature approximately equal to three hundred degrees(300) Fahrenheit, the normal temperature of a hundred pound steamsystem, In this connection, it has been found practical to employ amixture of a heavy paraffin oil and ether, since a mixture of this typeis characterized by what is known as flash vaporization. It has alsobeen found that the effectiveness of this steam trap in draining off thewater of condensation by this system is greatly improved by varying theproportion of the ingredients of the mixtures in the valve bodies 24 and25, so that one valve will move into closed position slightly ahead ofthe other. It is, of course, apparent that by closing one of theopenings which effects communication between the chambers A and Bslightly before the movement of the valve of the second 0pening inclosed position, the incoming steam will act to drive all remainingparticles of water ofcondensation from the inlet -cham-' ber A into theoutlet chamber B.

While the preferred embodiment of this invention comprehends theaccomplishment of the successive closing of the inlet ports 20-and 21 byfilling the valve bodies 24 and 25 with mixtures of differenttemperatures of ebullition, it is, nevertheless, desirable to emphasizethe fact that this invention also anticipates the performance of thesame function by arranging the partition plate 22 more nearly adjacentone side of the member 18 than the other, or by varying the longitudinaldimensions of the valve heads, valve bodies or spacing members 27.Relative to the variations to which the several structural details ofthis invention may be subjected, it is to be observed that theconformation of the valve bodies 24 and 25 may be changed from thepresent disk shape to an oblong, a prolate or any other desired design.1

- Relative to the many advantages accruto or removed from the casing asa unit.

ing from the novel form of structure employed in the present invention,it is to be noted that the number of parts employed is reduced to aminimum, that the separate elements are simple to an extreme as regardstheir design, and that the entire valve structure is assembled as aunitary device, so that in case of disarrangement or breakage of any ofthe valve elements, repairs may be quickly effected or a new valveelement substituted bymerely removing the closure cap 14 and withdrawingthe plate 22.

In reduction to practice, I have found that the form of my invention,illustrated in the drawings and referred to in the above description, asthe preferred embodiment, is the most eflicient and practical; yetrealizing that the conditions concurrent with the adoption of my devicewill necessarily vary, I desire to emphasize the fact that various minorchanges in details of construction, I

proportion and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, when required,without sacrificing any of the advantages of my invention, as defined inthe appended claims.

7 What I claim is 1. A steam trap includinga body casing, and a multiplethermostatic valve removably mounted therein, the valve including aplurality of thermally expansible body members, and a valve head carriedby each of said body members, the separate elements of said valve beingconnected to form a unitary structure whereby they may be applied 2. Asteam trap including a body casing, a centrally arranged, substantiallyU-shaped partition dividing said body easing into independent chambers,one of which constitutes the inlet and the other constitutes the outletfor the steam, there being ports effect ing communication between thechambers, and a thermostatic valve arranged in one of the chambers andadapted to seal the communicating ports between the two chambers inaccordance with pre-determined variations in temperature in the chamberwithin which the valve is arranged.

3. A steam trap including a body casing, a partition dividing said bodycasing into independent chambers, one of said chambers constituting aninlet and the other of said chambers constituting an outlet for thesteam, there being a plurality of ports effecting communication betweenthe cham- 12o bers, and a multiple thermostatic valve arranged in one ofthe chambers, said valve including a plurality of thermally expansiblebody members connected to form a unitary one of said ports. we

4. A steam trap including a body casing, partitions dividing said casinginto independent chambers, there being ports effecting communicationbetween the chambers, a thermostatic valve arranged in one of thechambers and adapted to seal the ports between the chambers in'responseto pre-determined variations in temperature in the casing, said valveincluding a plurality of independent thermally expansible elements, eachcontaining a substance having a relatively high ebullitionalco-efficient, the substances contained within the difierent elementsbeing of diflerent ebullitional co-efiicients whereby the elements willexpand or contract independently of each other to suecessively seal theports between the chambers.

5. A steam trap including a body casing, and a multiple thermostaticvalve removably mounted therein, said valve including a removablesupporting plate, a plurality of expansible body members securedthereto, said body members having different ebullitional co-efficientswhereby they may respond independently of each other to differenttemperatures, and valve heads carried by said body members.

6. A steam trap including a body casing, partitions dividing said casinginto independent chambers, and a thermostatic valve removablymounted inone of said chambers, said valve including a removable supporting plate,a plurality of expansible body members, andvalve heads carried thereby,said valve body members being hollow and adapted to' receive liquids ofvaried ebullitional temperatures.

7. A steam trap'including a body casing, partitions dividing said bodycasing into an inlet and an outlet chamber, a multiple thermostaticvalve arranged in said outlet chamber, the sealing elements in said.valve being adapted to niove successively into closed position forsealing the communicating ports between the two chambers in accordancewith predetermined variations in temperature in the said body casing.

8. A steam trap including a body casing,

U-shaped partitions formed integrally there-.

with and defining a substantially U-shaped inlet chamber, the bodycasing forming. an

outletchamber, spaced parallel vertically extending lugs formed on theinner face of the body member and spaced parallel verti-- callyextending ribs formed in the bight portion of the innerU-shapedpartition wall j and at a point opposed to the first-mentionedribs, and a' thermostatlc valve mounted in the outlet chamber, saidvalve including a body plate adapted to-be inserted in the outcallydisposed with respect to the outlet chamber, the side portions of theinner partition wall being provided with openings communicating with theoutlet chamber whereby the steam or water enters the outlet chamberalong a radial path, and a multiple thermostatic valve removably mountedin the outlet chamber for successively sealing the said openings 'inaccordance with pro-determined variations in temperature in the outletchamber.

10. A steam trap including a body casing, a substantially U-shapedpartition dividing the casing into .a U-shaped inlet chamber and anoutlet chamber, there being ports formed in the side portions ofthepartition, a multiple thermostatic valve arranged in the outlet-chamber,said valve including a body plate removably mounted in the cas ing, athermally expansible element secured ent' from that of the substance inthe other element, and valve heads carried by each ele ment and adaptedto close the adjacent port of the U-shaped partition wall in response topredetermined temperatures in the body casing.

11. A having an inlet chamber and an outlet chamber, diametricallyopposed ports effecting communication between the chambers, and a valvemember arranged in the outlet chamber, said valve including a pair ofindependent thermally expansible elements, and a valve head carried byeach element, said elements being of'difleren't ebullitionalco-eflicients whereby'one of said valve heads will be moved into closedposition in advance of the other valve head. 1

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

B. HOWARD. [n a] Witnesses:

CmRrrA M. PRATT, Mmz'rm A. SMITH.

steam trapincluding a body casing A

